The Unbroken But Impure

CHAPTER 65 HER PAST RE-EMERGED

Because of everything he had gone through, Marco lost contact with all his old classmates. He was cautious, if he reconnected with his former bandmates and friends, Don Pablo might find a way to track him down. More than that, Marco didn't want his friends to suffer the same fate as Yvette.

Yvette was the only one Marco still considered a close friend. She was the only person who truly understood what he had been through. And it was the same for her, Marco was the only one who knew the truth about her life.

"I'm happy for you, Marco! You finally fell in love! I hope you two stay together. Just forget what happened with Sarah, it might ruin your relationship with Karla," Yvette said warmly.

Marco had gone to visit Yvette at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, where she was assigned to the PNPSAF office. He dropped by from time to time, just to catch up.

"I know, Yvette. I've moved on. Meeting Karla... it feels like a new beginning after all the trials I've faced," Marco replied.

"Yes, Marco. After everything, there's always a new life waiting," Yvette said meaningfully, placing her hand on her growing belly.

"Any intel reports about the Saturno Drug Syndicate?" Marco asked.

"They say Don Pablo is already in the U.S., but no one knows exactly where. The police don't even know his real name. That's why he's so hard to catch, he's got powerful business contacts, and he hides behind them to cover up his transactions," Yvette explained.

Marco fell into deep thought. If Don Pablo disappeared for good, the drug supply chain in the country would collapse. But nobody knew his true identity, he could even look completely different now.

Still, Marco was sure he would recognize him. He would never forget the scar on Don Pablo's face, nor the injury he left on his thigh the day Marco shot him.

"Yvette, I've got to get back to work. Let's keep in touch, okay? Bye!" Marco said, waving as he left her office.

Though Yvette was happy for Marco, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. No matter what, Marco would only ever see her as a sister. She couldn't blame him, love couldn't be forced. So she decided she would focus on raising the child in her belly.

That same afternoon, Karla was waiting for a taxi after a project meeting. When one finally stopped, she climbed in and told the driver her destination.

As the taxi pulled away, Karla glanced at the driver. He looked familiar, an older man, maybe in his sixties, with a weary face that told of a hard life. She squinted, studying him, and then her heart skipped.

It was him. The old man who had once helped her escape from Roque!

"Hey, Mister!" Karla said quickly.

"Why, ma'am? Did you forget something?" he asked politely.

"Do you remember me?" Karla pressed.

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry. I've had so many passengers over the years. I'm too old to remember them all," he said with a faint smile.

Karla's eyes welled up. "More than three years ago... you helped me escape from Roque! You told me from that day forward, we didn't know each other!" she said, her voice trembling.

The old man froze, pulling the cab to the side of the road. He stared at her in shock, and then tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Thank God you're alive! After that day, I went back home to Mindanao. But I wasn't lucky. My second wife, she was much younger than me, ran off with someone else. So I came back here to Manila to work again," He said brokenly.